gdi 12 at advantage cps
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
1/51
GDI 12 1/51AT Advantage CPs
A2: Carbon Tax CP
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
2/51
GDI 12 2/51AT Advantage CPs
AFF
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
3/51
GDI 12 3/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Taxes Bad Laundry List
Carbon tax unpopular, isnt modeled globally, and hurts the economyLeybovich 9 (Ilya, NewsWeek,http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-
and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/) IGMThe taxpayers may pass the cost of the tax on down the chain of purchasers, and the behavioral effect of the tax will depend on how the pricesignals influence decisions by the taxpayers and subsequent purchasers, but the mechanism itself is implemented directly
just between taxpayers and the IRS, says Janet Milne in theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Concerns remain about whether acarbon tax would actually reduce emissions or if companies would simply pay the tax and continue to produce the same amount of carbon
dioxide. However, as Gregg Easterbrook notes, *t+his is possible, but unlikely: experience shows that individuals
and firms change behavior to reduce taxation. According to carbon tax proponent theCarbon Tax Center, a first-year taxrate of $15 per ton of carbon dioxide coupled with incremental rate increases of $10 per ton each year would lower emissions to 25 percent
below 2005 levels by 2022. These figures reflect a new carbon tax bill recently introduced to Congress. However, many people have
voiced serious doubts about the feasibility of a carbon tax program.If you were a pure economist, the most logical
thing is taxation. It is the simplest. But taxation is a word that makes people choke in normal times. And these are notnormal times, the director of the United Nations climate change program recently told theNew York Times. In addition to the widespread
reluctance for additional taxation (in the midst of a recession, no less), critics argue that a carbon tax would not foster
international participation due to the difficulty of coordinating global taxation efforts . For a carbon
tax to work, Wagner and Keohane argue, it would be necessary to achieve a harmonized tax structure across
countries.
Lack of global modeling just outsources jobs and emissionsCormann 11(Mathias, WA Liberal Senator, http://liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspx) IGMIts findings are based on evidence from a wide cross section of experts and, unlike the government
sponsored shotgun inquiry, held hearings across metropolitan, regional, Eastern and Western Australia. The findings of the Senate
Committees twelve month inquiry are clear. The carbon tax will impose economic pain on Australia for no
environmental gain. It will not reduce emissions but will reduce our international competitiveness and
cost jobs. According to the governments own modelling domestic and global emissions will continue
to grow, while the cost of living will go up and up and up and real wages will be lower than they would be without a carbon tax. Electricity
prices alone will go up by 10 percent in the first year of the carbon tax. Lower emitting Australian businesses forced to pay the
carbon tax will become less competitive than their higher emitting international competitors not
facing a carbon tax. Higher emitting businesses overseas taking market share away from even the
most environmentally efficient equivalent business in Australia, means jobs and emissions will shift
overseas.
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/roundtables/carbon-tax-vs-cap-and-tradehttp://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/roundtables/carbon-tax-vs-cap-and-tradehttp://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/roundtables/carbon-tax-vs-cap-and-tradehttp://www.carbontax.org/blogarchives/2009/03/06/new-larson-bill-raises-the-bar-for-congressional-climate-action/http://www.carbontax.org/blogarchives/2009/03/06/new-larson-bill-raises-the-bar-for-congressional-climate-action/http://www.carbontax.org/blogarchives/2009/03/06/new-larson-bill-raises-the-bar-for-congressional-climate-action/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/us/politics/07carbon.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/us/politics/07carbon.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/us/politics/07carbon.htmlhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://c/Users/Kenneth/Downloads/(Mathias,%20%20http:/liberal.org.au/Latest-News/2011/10/12/Cormann-Op-Ed.aspxhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/us/politics/07carbon.htmlhttp://www.carbontax.org/blogarchives/2009/03/06/new-larson-bill-raises-the-bar-for-congressional-climate-action/http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/roundtables/carbon-tax-vs-cap-and-tradehttp://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2009/03/17/carbon-tax-versus-cap-and-trade-system-debate-heats-up/ -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
4/51
GDI 12 4/51AT Advantage CPs
No Solvency - Generic
No solvency inefficient, and misuse of fundsTielman 11 (Bill,president of West Star Communications,
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/07/12/CarbonTax/) IGM
Why the carbon tax isn't reducing consumption is simple. Increasing the price without providing
drivers with more options on how to reduce their use of fuel doesn't work. The B.C. carbon tax introduced withgreat fanfare by former B.C. Liberal premier Gordon Campbell is supposed to be revenue neutral, offsetting the increased cost of gas and other
fuels with personal and corporate income tax cuts. That means the nearly $1 billion in extra gas taxes annually doesn't fund
public transit at all,nor does it provide financial incentives to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, make yourhome more energy efficient or fund other environmental projects.
Carbon Taxes would raise other bills
Australian Associated Press 7/13 ("GST ON CARBON TAX IS INEFFICIENT: HOCKEY" au.yahoonews,http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/latest/a/-/article/14222426/gst-on-carbon-tax-is-inefficient-hockey/) BSB
Putting the GST on a carbon tax is inefficient and revisits the old era of hidden wholesale sales taxes,shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says. News Ltd reported on Thursday that energy companies, waste disposal firms
and appliance repairers are among businesses charging consumers GST based on carbon tax costs. Mr
Hockey said the "taxes on taxes" scenario revisited the pre-GST era of hidden wholesale sales taxes and
would make the economy inefficient. "The only area where you still have taxes on taxes is insurance which is the most hideous
area of tax," Mr Hockey told the Seven Network on Friday. "The best way to get efficiency in the economy is to have
only one tax on a product, not an embedded tax and then another tax on top of it which is what's
happening with the carbon tax." But cabinet minister Tony Burke said GST charges have been levied in the same way since it was
introduced in 2000. "The mechanics of how the GST works across the entire economy have been set down
for more than a decade now," Mr Burke told the Seven Network. News Ltd reports that NSW electricity companies have
confirmed the 10 per cent GST would be applied to power bills, after the carbon tax had been added
to the bill.
Carbon taxes would make the economy inefficient
Herald Sun 7/13 ("Bills skyrocket with GST on top of carbon tax" http://www.news.com.au/money/cost-of-living/bills-skyrocket-with-gst-on-top-of-carbon-tax/story-fnagkbpv-1226424870255) BSB
PUTTING the GST on a carbon tax is inefficient and revisits the old era of hidden wholesale sales taxes,
shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says. News Ltd reported on Thursday that energy companies, waste disposal firms
and appliance repairers are among businesses charging consumers GST based on carbon tax costs. Mr
Hockey said the "taxes on taxes" scenario revisited the pre-GST era of hidden wholesale sales taxes and
would make the economy inefficient. "The only area where you still have taxes on taxes is insurance which is the most hideous
area of tax," Mr Hockey told the Seven Network. "The best way to get efficiency in the economy is to have only one
tax on a product, not an embedded tax and then another tax on top of it which is what's happeningwith the carbon tax." But cabinet minister Tony Burke said GST charges have been levied in the same
way since it was introduced in 2000. "The mechanics of how the GST works across the entire economy
have been set down for more than a decade now," Mr Burke told the Seven Network.
Carbon taxes inefficient - Ireland proves
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/07/12/CarbonTax/http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/07/12/CarbonTax/http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/07/12/CarbonTax/ -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
5/51
GDI 12 5/51AT Advantage CPs
Rapple 9 (Colm, economist by training and a journalist by profession, "Carbon tax is a nonsense, inequitable and economically inefficient"Colm's Columns, http://colmrapple.com/?p=118) BSB
The carbon tax is a nonsense. It will have scant impact on our carbon emiss ions. Its inequitable, in so
far as it will bear heaviest on low income earners. And it is economically inefficient in that it will
adversely affect the competitiveness of many Irish businesses. It will also give a massive boost to cross border shopping, not forgroceries and drink but rather for solid fuel. Its another example of the good intentions and woolly thinking that has informed much of the
Green Partys input to Government. With some honourable exceptions, there seems to be a reluctance to criticise this tax,perhaps because of a fear of being accused of killing polar bears. Or perhaps there was so much in the
budget that it has just got sidelined. There was widespread opposition to the tax when it was first mooted by
Charlie McCreevy some years ago, some of it from within the civil service. In a submission presented to Charlie McCreevy at the time, the
Department of Transport maintained that a carbon tax could cause significant economic damage
without any corresponding economic benefits. It argued that the tax would have little or no impact on
the behaviour of transport users or on the level of emissions from the transport sector. That latter point is
not even disputed by Green Minister, amon Ryan. Demand for fossil fuel products is, as he put it himself, relatively
inelastic. In other words even a large increase in price doesnt have much impact on the amount
purchased. Thats particularly true of motor fuels, which will be bearing almost two-thirds of the
carbon tax burden.
Carbons taxes fail laundry list
Swezey 11 (Devon, contributor for Forbes, The Carbon Tax, Then and Now,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource/2011/09/20/the-carbon-tax-then-and-now/) KAIn the debate over climate legislation in 2009 and 2010, it was conventional wisdom that a price on carbon was the sine qua non of effectiveclimate policy. All Very Serious People knew that you could not reduce carbon emissions or drive clean energy innovation without a price oncarbon, either through a carbon tax or a cap and trade system. Indeed, leading venture capitalist John Doerr used to travel around the countryhammering home the three top things that the government needed to do to catalyze a clean energy revolution. In order, they were: 1) put aprice on carbon, 2) put a price on carbon and 3) put a price on carbon. How the times have changed. In a piece posted over the weekend, Tyler
Cowen, a prolific blogger and card- carrying economist at George Mason University, writes that there are a number of reasons10,
in factwhy the case for a carbon tax is not as airtight as its advocates claim: 1. Other countries wont
follow suit and then we are doing something with almost zero effectiveness. 2. It may push dirty
industries to less well regulated countries and make the overall problem somewhat worse. 3. There is Jim
Manzis point that Europe has stiff carbon taxes, and is a large market, but they have not seen a major burst
of innovation, just a lot of conservation and some substitution, no game changers. Denmark remains far moredependent on fossil fuels than most people realize and for all their efforts theyve done no better than stop the growth of carbon emissions;see Robert Bryces Power Hungry, which is in any case a useful contrarian book for considering this topic. 4. Especially for large segments of the
transportation sector, there simply arent plausible substitutes for carbon on the horizon. 5. A tax on energy
is a sectoral tax on the relatively productive sector of the economy making stuff and it will shift
more talent into finance and other less productive sectors. 6. Oil in particular will become so expensive
in any case that a politically plausible tax wont add much value (careful readers will note that this argument is in
tension with some of those listed above). 7. A carbon tax wont work its magic until significant parts of the energy
and alternative energy sector are deregulated. No more NIMBY! But in the meantime perhaps we cant proceed with the taxand expect to get anywhere. Had we had todays level of regulation and litigation from the get-go, we never could have built todays energy
infrastructure, which I find a deeply troubling point. 8. A somewhat non-economic argument is to point out the regressive nature of acarbon tax. 9. Jim Hamiltons work suggests that oil price shocks have nastier economic consequences than many
people realize. 9b. A more prosperous economy may, for political and budgetary reasons, lead to more subsidies
for alternative energy, and those subsidies may do more good than would the tax . Maybe we wont adopt
green energy until its really quite cheap, in which case lets just focus on the subsidies. 10. The actual application of such a tax
will involve lots of rent-seeking, privileges, exemptions, inefficiencies, and regulatory arbitrage.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource/2011/09/20/the-carbon-tax-then-and-now/http://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource/2011/09/20/the-carbon-tax-then-and-now/ -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
6/51
GDI 12 6/51AT Advantage CPs
Cap-and-trade means carbon taxes wont be implemented
Climate Lab 9 (Climate Lab, Carbon Tax,http://climatelab.org/Carbon_Tax) KA
Cap and trade programs have gained the recognition worldwide, which makes it difficult for the
implementation of a carbon tax. After the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, a global cap and trade program,
the cap and trade system became well-recognized worldwide. In the United States, the voluntary cap and trade market the Chicago Climate Exchange and a successful cap and trade program on sulfur dioxide emissions have made capped programs the norm.
Carbon tax is neither necessary nor sufficient to solve global warming
Mandy 11 (Kyle, PwC National Tax Technical,http://www.businesslive.co.za/southafrica/2011/12/02/the-case-against-a-carbon-tax-in-sa) IGMCarbon emissions are a global problem, not a local one. SA's contribution to total global emissions is negligible incomparison to the largest emitters. Nearly half of global carbon emissions emanate from the United States and China, while SA contributesabout 2% of global emissions. Even on a per capita basis, SA's emissions are far below those of most developed countries. The scope for SA tomake reductions in carbon emissions and the extent to which any reductions would contribute to the reduction of global emissions are
therefore limited. If SA introduces a carbon tax it will be the first developing country to introduce such a tax of any significance. This will
place the country at a significant competitive disadvantage relative its competitors. It would also result in SAplacing a price on carbon before many developed countries, most notably the United States. - Most countries that have introduced a carbon taxor are planning to introduce a carbon tax are far less carbon intensive than SA, primarily as a result of SA's heavy reliance on coal for energyrelative to other countries. Notwithstanding the fact that SA's economy is relatively carbon intensive, it is not exceptional in terms of energyintensity. The reason for the difference between SA's energy intensity and its carbon intensity is that coal emits far more carbon than otherfossil fuels. As a result, a carbon tax would have a far greater economic impact in SA than in other countries. - SA's undertakings to reduceemissions are subject to financial and technological support from developed countries for the implementation of adaptation mitigation action
in developing countries. The introduction of a carbon tax in the absence of binding commitments by
developed countries to provide such support is questionable. - Carbon emissions are a global problem
requiring a global solution and any unilateral action by SA will be totally ineffective in reducing global emissions while coming at
great cost to the economy. - Carbon tax is only one of a number of possible policy interventions available to
reduce carbon emissions and would not be a panacea to the problem. Other instruments that can be used toachieve the same objective include incentives and subsidies, regulation of emission quotas and energy efficiency standards and voluntary
agreements with emitters.
http://climatelab.org/Carbon_Taxhttp://climatelab.org/Carbon_Taxhttp://www.businesslive.co.za/southafrica/2011/12/02/the-case-against-a-carbon-tax-in-sahttp://www.businesslive.co.za/southafrica/2011/12/02/the-case-against-a-carbon-tax-in-sahttp://www.businesslive.co.za/southafrica/2011/12/02/the-case-against-a-carbon-tax-in-sahttp://climatelab.org/Carbon_Tax -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
7/51
GDI 12 7/51AT Advantage CPs
No Solvency - Emissions
Carbon tax dont solve emissionsCattaneo 10 (Olivier, Senior Trade Specialist with the World
Bankhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.html) IGMEnthusiasm of Sens. John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman to create millions of jobs that cannot be shipped abroad contrasts sharply with the coldreception for President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis proposal in Brussels. For promoters, the tax aims to protect
domestic industries against unfair competition by countries that fail to adopt measures to reduce emissions. Such bills also aim to
prevent domestic efforts to reduce global emissions being undermined by production relocations and
rising emissions elsewhere.
Carbon taxes increase emissions - empiricsThe Economist 9 (Binge and purge,http://www.economist.com/node/12970769) IGM
Yet for all its environmental piety, Norway is also a prodigious polluter. Its greenhouse-gas emissions
have grown 15% since it adopted the carbon tax. They are still rising, and are likely to continue to do
so until 2012, according to Mr Stoltenberg. As it is, Norway spews out more emissions per head than many other countries in Europe. And,in the eyes of many environmentalists, these statistics understate the damage Norway is doing to the atmosphere. It is the world's third-biggestexporter of gas and fourth-biggest exporter of oil. The process of extracting these fuels from below the North Sea releases some greenhousegases within Norway itself. But when the oil and gas Norway exports are burned abroad, they generate far more emissions.
Counterplan kills tech to solve emissions plan solves bestLomberg 11 (Bjorn, Copenhagen Business School,http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htm) IGMThe current solution is to make fossil fuels so expensive nobody will want them. That sounds like a great idea
but it's not only economically inefficient but it's also politically impossible. What we need is a better
solution. It's about innovating green energy to be so cheap that everybody will want it . If you look at data fromthe International Energy Agency from 1974 until 2009 on how much OECD countries spend on energy R&D as a percentage of GDP, you can seethat we had a huge boom in investment research and development in the late 70s and early 80s. Since then it's declined and it has not picked
up since we started talking about global warming. This is because everybody talks about cutting carbon emissions, and
how much they need to reduce in the next five or 10 years. Whereas the real solution has to be about making sure we get
new, breakthrough technologies in the next 20 to 40 years. There's a significant under-investment in the solutions thatare going to carry us through.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.htmlhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.htmlhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.htmlhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.htmlhttp://www.economist.com/node/12970769http://www.economist.com/node/12970769http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htmhttp://www.economist.com/node/12970769http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.htmlhttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/opinion/carbon-taxes-may-be-ineffective-in-discouraging-emissions-38582.html -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
8/51
GDI 12 8/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Tax Kills Competitiveness
Carbon tax fails and kills competitivenessFolseth 5/27 (Alan, Sales / Marketing,
http://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.html) IGMThe carbon tax was never was going to do the job government said it would which was to reduce our carbon
footprint. On top of that, no other North American jurisdiction has it, which also increases manufacturing
costs for businessesin BC which in turn reduces their competitiveness . I find it deeply disturbing that this
government continues to find more and more ways to pry more and more of my money from me. Let me keep more and let me spend it in
the real economy where it will actually do some good. The carbon tax was really nothing more than a tax grab,
designed as a phoney green initiative, and the government knew that from the start. As to how we can make up the lostrevenue from this so-called revenue neutral tax? I have an idea. In his budget speech this Spring, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon said we wouldhave another deficit this time in the amount of $968 million maybe instead of having another 1 BILLION dollar deficit for this year they canfind a way to reduce their spending, and then they wont have to worry about the loss of revenue from eliminating the so-called 'revenueneutral' Carbon Tax.
Carbon tax kills competitivenessAnderson 7/13 (Peter, The Australian,http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875) IGMFor small and medium businesses the tax is especially unfair. Like households, they get higher energy costs imposed
with no bargaining power against the big energy companies. But unlike households, small businesses get no compensation, notan iota. They are left fully exposed to the extra costs. None of these small business blows were costed by the government or parliament beforethe carbon tax was made law. Independent research the private sector commissioned to fill the gap said that energy intensive small businesseswould face reductions in profitability of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent at the starting $23 per tonne carbon price. For our trade exposed
industries , the tax is not just a rise in electricity costs but also a drain on competitiveness . As a member of theGillard government's Business Roundtable on Climate Change I heard loud and clear the calls for compensation by globally competingindustries. Their calls were understandable, but compensation only masks the symptom, not the cause. Most compensated industries nowprepared to accept or go quiet on the carbon tax are only doing so because of the compensation. If and when the compensation dries up,
they're exposed, like my small business members. What this means for Australia is more pressure on jobs. The carbon tax lowers
incomes, reduces living standards and weakens job security. That's why it's objected to by business. And the broadercommunity doesn't believe that governments should trade off Australian jobs for the environment, or vice versa. Governments are elected todo the right thing on both fronts and we should hold them to that expectation.
Carbon taxes kill the economy and competitiveness Australia proves
AAP 12 (Australian Associated Press, Businesses plan carbon tax price
hike,http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/businesses-plan-carbon-tax-price-hike-
20120701-21ag4.html) KA
More than 40 per cent of businesses will put up prices immediately now the carbon tax has come into
effect, Australia's peak industry association says. Australian Industry Group (Ai) says it has found that 40 per cent of manufacturing
businesses, 40 per cent of services businesses and 44 per cent of construction businesses will try to pass
the tax on to consumers from Sunday. "(Our) survey marking the start of the carbon tax has found a big proportion of businesses (42per cent) ... will try to put up their prices immediately following the introduction of the scheme today," Ai Group chief executive, Innes Willox,said in a statement. He said the results were based on a survey of members in the second half of June in which they were asked about theirplans to increase prices in response to the carbon tax. Mr Willox said 60 per cent of construction material suppliers, 82 per cent ofcommunications services businesses and 48 per cent of retail traders planned to increase their prices. To a lesser degree, 11 per cent of foodand beverage makers and 22 per cent of finance, insurance, accommodation, cafes and restaurant businesses said they would pass on thecosts. Mr Willox said there was also uncertainty over what role the consumer watchdog, the ACCC, would play in determining whether pricehikes were fair. Businesses need to be careful not to overstate the impact of the carbon tax in raising prices, he says. Earlier, the NSW BusinessChamber urged businesses in the state to go online and share stories about how the carbon tax was affecting as part of a campaign against the
http://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.htmlhttp://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.htmlhttp://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.htmlhttp://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/no-carbon-tax-compo-for-small-and-medium-business/story-e6frgd0x-1226424858875http://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.htmlhttp://kamloopsthompsonbcconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/05/carbon-tax-was-really-nothing-more-than.html -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
9/51
GDI 12 9/51AT Advantage CPs
tax. The chamber has launched an online portal where people can share their experience. Manufacturing Australia said the tax would
make Australian business less competitive and be detrimental to the economy . "This reduced
competitiveness will ... result in job losses in Australia," the organisation said in a statement. "It may also force ourmanufacturers to pursue opportunities overseas where permitted emissions are much higher, thereby increasing global pollution." Theorganisation said Australia's price of $23 per tonne of carbon dioxide was almost three times as high as the price in Europe and New Zealand. Italso said Australia would be out of step with the rest of the world. The US, Canada, Japan and Russia are not introducing a carbon scheme in the
near future and China and India are unlikely to act until as late as 2020.
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
10/51
GDI 12 10/51AT Advantage CPs
No Solvency Emissions, Plan Key
Carbon tax doesnt solve warming innovating keyLomberg 11(Bjorn, Copenhagen Business School,
http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htm) IGM
Demanding to cut carbon emissions is politically not going to happen, either. If you look at the economic growth
and the CO2growth over the last quarter century there is a very strong correlation. That's why most politicians realise that a
promise to cut carbon emission growth, is a promise to cut economic growth. It doesn't cut it back to zero but it
does have a real cost. So when we talk about the Australian carbon tax, we need to recognise any realistic carbon tax will do
very little to solve global warming. The damage cost of a tonne CO2 emitted is about $7 per tonne. Any economist
would say CO2 should therefore be taxed in principle. But the carbon tax in and of itself is something that's not going tohave a major environmental impact. A carbon tax really is about realising that the revenue raised can be used to fund green research and
development which will be the significant part of the solution. We should focus on innovating cheap, green energy
rather than the current solution of making fossil fuel so expensive nobody wants it . It's 500 times moreeffective than the current approach. It's $11 back on the dollar rather than two or three cents back in the dollar. It would actually fix globalwarming in the medium term.
http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/03/09/3158295.htm -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
11/51
GDI 12 11/51AT Advantage CPs
AT: Economy
Carbon taxes cant solve competitivenessother provinces and too high
Schultz 12 (Stacey, National Geographic News, British Columbia Rethinks Its Pioneering Carbon Tax,5/3/12, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/05/120503-british-columbia-
reviews-carbon-tax/) LA
Consumers and businesses receive tax breaks and credits to offset the price of the carbon tax , in a
government effort to make the carbon tax "revenue neutral." In practice, the tax has been revenue negative , with the
value of the tax cuts and credits exceeding the carbon tax receipts. In 2011, the losses amounted to $192 million(U.S. $194.6 million)with $1.15 billion in tax cuts and credits swamping the $960 million in tax revenue. Future increases in the carbon taxcould close this gap, said Lake. The early government modeling on the carbon tax suggested that the rate increases planned through this year
would reduce British Columbia's emissions by 3 million tons, or about 4 percent relative to business-as-usual (BAU) in 2020. But to reach
the targeted goal of a one-third reduction at 2007 levels, the tax eventually would have to go up further, because itwould need to generate a reduction relative to BAU of 40 million tons, according to a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report, Fair andEffective Carbon Pricing: Lessons from BC. The most recent government figures show a 2.3 percent decrease from 2008 to 2009 in overall GHGemissions in British Columbia, from 69.2 Mt to 66.9 Mt CO2e. But Lake notes that the economic recession was likely a factor. "Reduced
economic activity usually results in reduced greenhouse gases," he said. The government plans to release emissions figures from 2010sometime this year. To reach the 2020 targeted goal, Marc Lee argues in favor of a steep hike in the carbon tax. "I actually think we should bedriving the carbon tax up to about [Canadian] $200 per ton by 2020, which would essentially close the gap between prices here and what you
pay typically in Europe," he said. But some industries argue that any increases in the carbon tax will put them at
a competitive disadvantage . "The problem for B.C. is that no other provinces or U.S. states have chosen to follow the same pathsince B.C. instituted its carbon tax in 2008," said Jock Finlayson, executive vice president of the Business Council of B.C. in an email. "So
while the 'cost' of carbon is rising in B.C., it is not rising in tandem in our principal competing
jurisdictions."Michael Sweeney, president of the Cement Association of Canada testified last September to the Select Standing
Committee on Finance and Government that the carbon tax will cost his industry more than $20 million (U.S. $20.7million) by July 1, 2012. Since the carbon tax was instituted in 2008, he told the committee, imports of cement have risen from 4 percent to 23percent of market share, slicing into the share produced within the province.
Carbon tax kills economy and competitiveness Australia proves
Packman 3/30 (Ben, The Australian,http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514) IGMMr Murray, who has also lashed the Gillard government's mining tax, warned the tax would undermine the nation's
competitiveness and damage the economy.If you want me to tell you my view, it is the worst piece of economic
reform I have ever seen in my life in Australia, he toldABC radiothis morning. The consequence of introducing that tax at
that level in Australia today is very, very bad for this economy, particularly in terms of international
competitiveness.
Carbon tax kills the economy
Moran 6/29 (Alan, Director, Deregulation Unithttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-plan) IGMOn Sunday the carbon tax will be implemented. This tax is the latest and most lethal of the suite of carbon-
reduction measures delivering crushing blows to businesses and households. We already have the cancer of theCommonwealth's Renewable Energy Target. This requires an increasing proportion of electricity to be supplied from high-cost wind and solargenerators. As well as dotting unsightly giant windmills around the countryside, wind and solar renewable facilities are hopelessly uneconomic.
The RET presently adds 6 per cent to consumers' electricity bills and the scheme is only halfway to its goal. On top of this, taxpayers are
http://www.cement.ca/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/top50/2012/david-murray/story-fnbtudzs-1226264498242http://www.theaustralian.com.au/top50/2012/david-murray/story-fnbtudzs-1226264498242http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/david-murray/3922216http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/david-murray/3922216http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/david-murray/3922216http://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.ipa.org.au/sectors/economics-deregulation/news/2692/carbon-tax-final-straw-in-a-lethal-energy-planhttp://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/david-murray/3922216http://www.theaustralian.com.au/top50/2012/david-murray/story-fnbtudzs-1226264498242http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/outgoing-future-fund-chairman-david-murray-says-carbon-tax-will-be-veryvery-bad-for-economy/story-e6frg6xf-1226314215514http://www.cement.ca/ -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
12/51
GDI 12 12/51AT Advantage CPs
carrying the additional taxation weight of about $3 billion a year to finance green schemes and
subsidies to exotic energy developments. None of this spending will ever prove worthwhile. And theGovernment has also created a $10 billion green-energy bank to fund business proposals that private-sector banks and venture capitalists have
rejected. The taxpayer will pick up the costs of its failures . The carbon tax builds on these injurious policies by adding 40 percent to the wholesale price of electricity. This crushes the profitability of many of Australia's most productive businesses, especially exportersand those facing import competition, which are unable to raise their prices to cover additional costs.
Carbon tax kills economy private sector growth
Dodds 6/4 (Troy, Editor,http://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-tax) IGMNSW Premier Barry OFarrell says the carbon tax will cost jobs and has maintained his opposition to the plan. Speaking to theWeekender in Penrith last Friday, Mr OFarrell said he was concerned about what the impact would be on jobs in western Sydney and
Australias manufacturing industry as a whole when the tax is introduced next month. Itll be bad for consumers because
everything is going to go up in price, itll be bad for employees because its going to cost jobs, its bad
for the state and its bad for the nation, he said. In one fell swoop on July 1 we do away with one of Australias greatestcompetitive advantages for our economy, which is low cost energy based on coal.
Carbon taxes can destroy the global economy
Carr 12 (Adam, leading market economist, SCOREBOARD: Rattle and shake,
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/markets-Wall-Street-European-crisis-AUD-gold-
oil-pd20120711-W3T4X?opendocument&src=rss) KAFor the calendar today, we get Westpacs consumer confidence series at 1030 AEST. The data is for July and I guess there is no shortage of
reasons why confidence would deteriorate further. Its a sad state of affairs.Following the RBAs ill-fated cuts, confidence is
actually lower and we saw that again yesterday as business confidence fell further. As it stands, consumer
confidence is already about 6 per cent below average. Obviously the carbon tax and the deep
unpopularity of the government are weighing heavy, but interest rate cuts are not helping. The truly amazing thing is thatwe still have economists calling for more rate cuts. The worry of course is that we may actually need rate cuts one day but the RBA has
jumped the gun and in a world where psychology and confidence are so important, you actually have the situation where rate cuts aredetrimental (at this stage of the cycle). There are downside global risks and of course the damage the carbon tax
will wreak on the economy(and it will damage the economy) is unknown at this stage let's save the ratecuts until we need them. Then, if the worst doesnt happen we are in a better position to deal with the upswing. There are significant upsiderisks to global and domestic growth that most policymakers seem blissfully unaware of. At 1130 AEST we get ABS home loans data. Prior to theRBAs cuts home lending had been on the path to a solid recovery, but the pace of that has slowed considerably of late. Indeed, so far for 2012,home lending has fallen on average by 0.7 per cent per monthand thats with 125bps worth of rate cuts. Prior to the RBAs easing cycle,home loans were rising on average by almost 2 per cent every month. This may seem counterintuitive, but only if you assume that policyresponses are linear. The Federal Reserve does, which is why it falls into crisis after crisis. It doesn't know how policy works. For Australia, ratecuts would work if the price of money was the problem in the first place but it wasnt. Confidence was (and is) the only problem. Thats whylending has slowed subsequently, because if the RBA are cutting something must be wrong, right? Wrong. Don't forget that RBA DeputyGovernor Philip Lowe speaks this morning at 900 AEST. Then this afternoon we see German consumer prices, and the expectation is thatinflation will moderate in line with CPI elsewhere, following the fall in commodity prices. Tonight, the key data is US trade and the FOMCminutes.
Carbon tax would hurt the economy
Loris 9 (Nicholas, Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation's Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, "A Carbon Tax Is An Economy Killer,Too" Heritage Foundation, http://blog.heritage.org/2009/05/14/a-carbon-tax-is-an-economy-killer-too/) BSBIn response to the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, GOP lawmakers Bob Inglis
of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona are set to introduce carbon tax legislation. A carbon tax is a direct, more predictable
tax on carbon emissions, but that does not make it any more acceptable. Proponents argue that it is
better than a cap and trade because it will not unpredictably fluctuate with the ebbs and flows of the
http://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-taxhttp://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-taxhttp://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-taxhttp://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-taxhttp://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/markets-Wall-Street-European-crisis-AUD-gold-oil-pd20120711-W3T4X?opendocument&src=rsshttp://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/markets-Wall-Street-European-crisis-AUD-gold-oil-pd20120711-W3T4X?opendocument&src=rsshttp://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/markets-Wall-Street-European-crisis-AUD-gold-oil-pd20120711-W3T4X?opendocument&src=rsshttp://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/markets-Wall-Street-European-crisis-AUD-gold-oil-pd20120711-W3T4X?opendocument&src=rsshttp://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-taxhttp://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/news/742-o-farrell-slams-carbon-tax -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
13/51
GDI 12 13/51AT Advantage CPs
market as evidenced by Europes carbon trading problems. Regardless of the efficiency of a carbon tax,
any tax to reduce carbon dioxide similar to those proposed in cap and trade would cause significant
economic damage and would do very little to reduce global temperatures. Furthermore, the economic
pain of higher energy prices will reduce disposable income for other goods and services. Once the
economy expands, bureaucrats would likely raise the tax on businesses, which would ultimately be
passed on to the consumer. As with a cap and trade bill, Americas poorest would be hit the hardest. Congress would likely
tinker with income tax policy further, making it even more regressive to compensate while increasing the overall burden onAmericans in the same way Europe has tinkered with its systems to compensate for the regressive effects of its insidious value-added tax.
Carbon taxes hurt lower and middle class citizens
Loris 7/12 (Nicholas, Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation's Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, "A Conservative Carbon Tax Is$0" Heritage Foundation, http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/12/a-conservative-carbon-tax-is-0/) BSB
Instead of rallying together to fight the Obama Administrations backdoor environmental regulations,
which have exorbitant costs and minimal benefit, some conservative organizations are working with liberal groups
to push costs higher by piling on a carbon tax. This would be nothing more than an enormously high,
regressive energy tax that would needlessly destroy jobs and economic growth. The abundance of shale gas andthe potential for stably low natural gas prices have energy-intensive industries champing at the bit to come to the United States. The
combination of onerous, duplicative regulations and a carbon tax would reverse that immediately.
And all for no noticeable change in the earths temperature. Since an overwhelming majority of our
energy needs are met by fossil fuels, these rules directly raise the cost of electricity, gasoline, diesel
fuel, and home heating oil. Since low-income families spend more of their budgets on energy, a tax
that increases energy prices would disproportionately eat into the income of the poorest American
families. As Congress of Racial Equality chairman Roy Innis says, The civil rights challenge of our time is to stop
extreme environmental policies that drive up the cost of energy and disproportionately hurt low
income Americans and the working poor. The higher energy costs of a carbon tax would dwarf any
type of rebate low-income families would allegedly receive.
Carbon tax doesn't help anyone
Green 7/13 (Kenneth P., an environmental scientist by training, studies public policy at the American Enterprise Institute, where hisprimary focus is on energy and climate policy, "Dissecting the Carbon Tax" The American,http://www.american.com/archive/2012/july/dissecting-the-carbon-tax) BSB
There would be virtually no environmental benefits to unilateral greenhouse gas emission reductions
by developed countries (whose GHG levels are already flat and slowly declining), while developing countries are
pouring out virtually every kind of pollutant with joyous abandon. Some argue that we'll get "co-benefits" fromreducing other pollutants, such as particulates. Well, we already have highly effective (if economically damaging) regulations for conventional
pollutants. If they're not working, they should be fixed. Establishing a new set of controls based on ancillary benefits
is not simply wasteful, it's dishonest. A carbon tax would also have limited impact: If $4-per-gallon gas
won't reduce consumer demand, how is adding another 10 cents, 50 cents, or dollar going to do so?Low carbon taxes won't have a significant effect, and high carbon taxes won't retain political support
long enough to provide environmental benefits. That's not surprising: Houses, cars, and energy-consuming appliances are
long-term investments that can't easily be changed when fuel prices fluctuate. Jobs are also not abandoned lightly, so
commuting distances aren't easily adjusted.
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
14/51
GDI 12 14/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon taxes are worse for the economy than beneficial
Green 7/13 (Kenneth P., an environmental scientist by training, studies public policy at the American Enterprise Institute, where hisprimary focus is on energy and climate policy, "Dissecting the Carbon Tax" The American,http://www.american.com/archive/2012/july/dissecting-the-carbon-tax) BSB
Studies continue to show that carbon taxes, through their influence on energy prices, would cause
considerable harm. They're recessionary: High energy costs reduce economic productivity and arepassed along to consumers in everything they buy, from medical treatments to food and clothing. Infact, research at the American Enterprise Institute suggests that half of the total spending consumers do on energy is invisible to them: Its costs
are embedded in the things they buy and the services they use. The more things cost, the less people consume, which
means less production, less economic growth, and fewer jobs. They're regressive: Most analysis shows
that energy taxes are highly regressive. After all, it's not the rich people who are driving around old cars with poor mileage,living in old houses with poor insulation and inefficient appliances, or having limited career mobility and lengthy commutes from poor
communities into wealthier communities where there are jobs. They're anti-competitive: Energy taxes also make
countries less competitive when it comes to exports, particularly when they're competing against
countries that don't impose comparable taxes. Carbon tax proponents argue that such things can be
handled with border taxes on imported goods from non-carbon-priced regimes, but does anyone really believethat such activities will not set off innumerable trade wars? They are bait-and-switch: If climate alarmists really thought that the goal was to get
the price right, you'd hear them promising to remove all of the other regulations of carbon emissions if they got their carbon tax. They'd talkabout repealing vehicle efficiency standards, appliance standards, technology standards, emission standards, unraveling regional trading
systems, ending low-carbon energy subsidies, and more. But they don't. Climate change alarmists, like Al Gore, have never
been shy in admitting that they will not be content with a carbon tax and will still want additional
layers of carbon suppression through cap-and-trade as well as regulation. This will result in rampant
over-pricing of carbon emissions and energy. As the country grapples with economic havoc, some are
pointing to carbon taxes as a potential solution to the government's revenue shortage. Carbon taxes
might be "better" than cap-and-trade or regulations, but then, in a train-wreck, losing a hand is better
than losing a forearm, which is better than losing an entire arm. Most would rather skip the wreck.
Even in flush economic times, carbon taxes would be bad policy. When economies are already
laboring under too much spending and are at diminishing-return levels of taxation, implementing a
carbon tax would be a mistake.
Now is not the time for a carbon tax - Ford Proves
Herald Sun 7-17("Ford job cuts, carbon tax bad timing" http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/ford-job-losses-due-to-carbon-tax-hunt/story-e6frf7kf-1226427920770) BSB
JOB cuts at car company Ford prove the carbon tax has arrived at the worst possible time and must
go, federal opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt says. "This confirms that it is the worst possible time for a
carbon tax," he told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday, referring to a Herald Sun report that Ford will shed 440 jobs at two Victorian
plants. "Our sympathy is with the workers and our determination is to do all we can to take away the
added pressures which can be removed on production in Australia." Mr Hunt dismissed Prime Minister Julia Gillard's claims that acoalition government would not repeal the carbon tax despite its repeated promises to do so. "We will repeal the carbon tax c learly, absolutely
and unequivocally," he said. "I am not surprised that the prime minister thinks that others won't honour their word simply because she doesn'thonour her word."
Carbon tax would wreck the economy - Australia proves
Wright 12 (Shane, Economics Editor, The West Australian, "Carbon tax 'bad economic reform'" TheWest,http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/full-coverage/carbon-tax/a/-/article/13311206/carbon-tax-bad-economic-reform/) BSB
The outgoing head of the Future Fund has slammed the Gillard Government's carbon tax as the worst piece
of economic reform he has seen. David Murray, who has publicly said there is no link between carbon emissions and climate
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
15/51
GDI 12 15/51AT Advantage CPs
change, said introducing the scheme would hurt the ability of Australian businesses to compete
internationally. Mr Murray, who was appointed to head the Future Fund by then Liberal treasurer Peter Costello, has not previouslycommented on either the Government's carbon tax or the emissions trading scheme that was backed by the Howard government. But he told
Radio National the carbon tax was not up to scratch. "It is the worst piece of economic reform I've ever seen in my
life in this country," Mr Murray said. "The consequences of introducing that tax at that level in
Australia today is very, very bad for this economy, particularly in terms of its international
competitiveness." Mr Murray said the proposed level of the tax, at $23 a tonne, would simply not reduce the reliance of businesses andhouseholds on carbon-intensive energy sources. Treasurer Wayne Swan said Mr Murray's position flew in the face of advice about climatechange and support in the international economic community for the Government's carbon tax.
Carbon tax kills competitiveness and leads to economic depression
Puhanic 7/3 (Andrew, contributor and writer for the Average Joe News, "Australians Desert the Carbon Tax" Average Joe News,http://theaveragejoenewsblogg.com/2012/07/03/australians-desert-the-carbon-tax/) BSB
Its official, Australians are now being forced to pay a carbon tax on the emissions they produce . The CleanEnergy Legislative Package, passed by the Australian Senate on 8 November 2011 become law on 1 July 2012, sets out how Australia will
introduce a carbon price (carbon tax) to reduce Australias carbon pollution. The carbon tax will increase the cost of living
for all Australians and, if effective, will only reduce Australias total contribution of global emissions
by less than 0.05%. In fact, this will take more than 10 years for such savings to be realised. The price of food, electricity,
water, gas, petrol and other essential goods and services will all increase. The increase in the cost of
doing business as a result of the carbon tax in Australia will soon make Australia one of the most
uncompetitive countries to trade with. While India, China and the United State of America continue to
do business with all of their respective trading partners unhindered by a carbon tax, the Australian
Government has done everything in its power to make it as difficult as possible for Australian small
business owners to trade internationally and has firmly planted the seeds of economic depression for
many years to come.
Carbon taxes increase costs for public transit leads to tipping point
Kelton 12 (Greg, State Editor, Bus fares to rise with carbon tax,
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-fares-set-to-spike-with-carbon-tax/story-e6frea6u-
1226390559719) KA
They will be part of a raft of rising transport costs caused by the carbon tax. Internal memos from TransportDepartment executives show the department will face a $15 million annual hit in operating costs, particularly with street lighting and road
construction. They warn the tax could add another $4.6 million to the cost of the Southern Expressway duplication. The department is
so worried about price rises, it has already applied to Treasury for extra funding. Details of the increased costs,
based on the Commonwealth Government's predictions that the carbon tax will increase costs by about 0.7 per cent, arein memos released to the Opposition under Freedom of Information. While no figures are given for possible fare increases, even if only the 0.7
per cent carbon tax impact was applied to fares along with the CPI next year, the cost of a single trip ticket would rise from$4.90 to $5.10 and a multitrip ticket would rise by $1.24 to $33.14. In this month's state Budget, single trip tickets rose by 4.3 per cent to $4.90
while multitrips rose 3.2 per cent to $31.90. The department warns street lighting costs could rise by $700,000a year whileroad construction costs will increase by about $70,000 per lane kilometre. A memo from Piero Sparapani, manager of finance and procurement,Public Transport Services, dated April 30, says it is expected energy costs for rail services will be affected from July this year while fuel costs for
bus services will be affected from July, 2014. The memo says the carbon tax will result in diesel costs for
metropolitan bus services rising by $213,881 a year for Torrens Transit, $491,545 for Transfield, and $636,565 for ATE. Regionalpassenger transport services will face an additional $161,601 in diesel costs. The second memo, from Julienne TePohe, director, f inance,Corporate Services division, says a 0.7 per cent increase with the carbon tax would add $7.2 million to the department's operating program and
another $7.6 million added to its capital works program. Opposition transport spokeswoman Vickie Chapman said the Gillard carbon tax
would put unnecessary pressure on state finances and services, which were already at breaking point.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-fares-set-to-spike-with-carbon-tax/story-e6frea6u-1226390559719http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-fares-set-to-spike-with-carbon-tax/story-e6frea6u-1226390559719http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-fares-set-to-spike-with-carbon-tax/story-e6frea6u-1226390559719http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-fares-set-to-spike-with-carbon-tax/story-e6frea6u-1226390559719 -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
16/51
GDI 12 16/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon taxes kill the economy
Climate Lab 9 (Climate Lab, Carbon Tax,http://climatelab.org/Carbon_Tax) KA
Possible negative impact on consumers and economy. There are concerns that the components of carbon tax added
to the current tax structure will likely to have potential impact on consumers and economic growth.
Especially, carbon tax is likely to have bigger impact on poor communities that already struggle to
heat their homes or use their vehicles for work. As for the economy as a whole, a carbon tax can skew the
development of different sectors. For example, in 1990s, Ontario's long-running Fair Tax Commission rejected posing carbontaxes, arguing they would distort too many key sectors of the economy, manufacturing and transportation in particular.9
http://climatelab.org/Carbon_Taxhttp://climatelab.org/Carbon_Taxhttp://climatelab.org/Carbon_Tax -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
17/51
GDI 12 17/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Tax Kills Charities
Carbon taxes destroys charitable effortsAAP 4/11 (American Academy of Pediatrics,http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-
on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705) IGMCHARITIES will be forced to cut back essential services for needy families as the carbon tax adds
millions of dollars to operating costs. In the latest challenge to the Gillard government's carbon tax, the Salvation Army
estimated it would add $3.5 million to the annual landfill costs for charitable organisations. The Salvation Army says it is bracing for anavalanche of useless household goods, dumped by people unwilling to pay higher rubbish tip fees as a result of the carbon tax. In a confidential
briefing note, it labelled the carbon tax "unjust and unfair" and said it would lead to "more dumping from
a price-sensitive public". Federal Finance Minister Penny Wong has assured charities that government assistance will be available tohelp them deal with the impact of a carbon tax which comes into effect from July 1. "We have put in place a fund for charities to help themwith the transition to the carbon price," she toldABC Radio today. Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt said it was absurd that
programs such as support for victims of domestic violence and the homeless could be at risk. "This hit
on charities shows the stupidity of this carbon tax and exposes it as a policy failure," he said in a statement.
http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705http://www.news.com.au/national/carbon-tax/dumping-on-charities-salvation-army-says-carbon-tax-will-be-a-costly-load-of-rubbish/story-fn99kjia-1226323329705 -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
18/51
GDI 12 18/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Tax Kills EV Market Key to Solve
Carbon tax kills EV industry which is necessary to solve warmingRamli 6/15 (David, Journalist for the Australian Financial Review,
http://afr.com/p/technology/carbon_tax_bad_for_electric_cars_3UDkms0NFaraPUJiHdahvK) IGMStill, Nissans electric model, which launched on Friday, will travel 170 kilometres on a $6 charge, which is far less than the cost ofa petrol car.But at $51,000 plus $2,750 for a recharging station, the Leaf would seem to face bigger consumer hurdles than the
carbon tax. Nissan admits it is targeting early adopters and expects to sell no more than a few hundred in the first year. Nissans global
head of product strategy Francois Bancon predicted that around 10 per cent of the worlds cars would be electric by 2020. But he said the
carbon tax and lack of taxpayer handouts Nissan is lobbying for subsidiesmean slower take up rates thanEurope, the US and other parts of the world. Yes the *carbon tax+ will probably slow down the progress in Australia, he said. It comes downto how people put pressure on their governments because this is a democracy. So taxes are something you can change in one month. Mr
Bancon said electric cars were a powerful tool in the fight against carbon change and that falling global oil
levels would force commuters to change their way of travelling. But he added that people would only switch if theprice of the car could be reduced with government assistance and electricity prices stayed low
http://afr.com/p/technology/carbon_tax_bad_for_electric_cars_3UDkms0NFaraPUJiHdahvKhttp://afr.com/p/technology/carbon_tax_bad_for_electric_cars_3UDkms0NFaraPUJiHdahvKhttp://afr.com/p/technology/carbon_tax_bad_for_electric_cars_3UDkms0NFaraPUJiHdahvK -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
19/51
GDI 12 19/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Tax Kills Clean Energy Market
Extra money paid through the carbon tax kills clean energy markets
Barnett 12 (Colin, Australian Premier, Carbon tax may stop clean energy: Barnett,http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8493984) KA
Pricing carbon may actually stop the transition to cleaner energy , says West Australian Premier Colin Barnett. The
premier told ABC Radio in Perth on Wednesday that far from being an incentive, the carbon price may soak up surplus cash
that could have been used by polluting industries to convert to cleaner alternatives. "In some ways it may
actually stop a transition to cleaner energy," Mr Barnett said. "For example, you impose a carbon tax on a polluting industry; itpays that tax, it no longer, therefore, has cash reserves to make the sort of changes needed. "Right around Australia you're seeing coal power
station owners - whether they're government or private - saying: 'This tax affects our industry, we've got two choices;
either continue or close - we won't be reinvesting in the alternative'." Mr Barnett said it would have been cheaperand simpler to legislate the "increasing use of renewables - in particular natural gas in power generation". He admitted that WA consumers,even those who had opted to pay a premium of up to $480 a year for renewable energy, were being supplied mostly with coal-fired and gas-
fired electricity without their knowledge. "The reality is, despite the increased use of renewable energy, most of the
electricity that we use in our house - whether you opt for green energy or not - is in reality produced
by coal and increasingly gas-fired power stations," Mr Barnett said. The premier's comment was in relation to the AustralianCompetition and Consumer Commission giving WA electricity retailer Synergy the go-ahead on Wednesday to levy a carbon-price surcharge oncustomers paying for renewable energy. Synergy gives its customers the option to pay $10-$80 in a two-month billing cycle to receive up to"141.34 per cent green energy", according to its website. Many customers, according to the ABC, had indicated they would pull out of the
scheme because of the carbon tax ruling. "I still encourage people to support renewable energy by paying that
little bit extra, but understandably a lot of people may pull out ," Mr Barnett said.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8493984http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8493984 -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
20/51
GDI 12 20/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon Tax --> Other Bad Policy
Carbon tax would be passed along with other bad measuresDavis 7/9 (Steve, Marketing Director at Baker Marketing,
http://bakermarketingservices.com/2012/07/using-your-carbon-tax-to-sneak-through-some-nasties/)IGMEvery business and person uses a Carbon Tax from time to time as the scapegoat for tough or bad
decisions. Things like: new taxes delay by our supplier staff turnover new systems roadworks busyness head office the devil
Sometimes these factors ARE to blame but when they are not it is BAD practice to blame something or somebody else when youneed to pass on bad news.
http://bakermarketingservices.com/2012/07/using-your-carbon-tax-to-sneak-through-some-nasties/http://bakermarketingservices.com/2012/07/using-your-carbon-tax-to-sneak-through-some-nasties/http://bakermarketingservices.com/2012/07/using-your-carbon-tax-to-sneak-through-some-nasties/ -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
21/51
GDI 12 21/51AT Advantage CPs
AT: Warming
Doesnt solve warmingbad policy and economic incentives
Mintz 06 (Jack, U of Calgary, Carbon tax: an idea whose time has not come, Financial Post, 6/28/6)LAThe argument for a carbon tax yielding a green dividend is that consumers will avoid purchasing higher-taxed products with greater carbon
content. However, the tax approach may achieve little in the way of environmental objectives. The demand
for such products as gasoline and heating fuel is less sensitive to price, since the tax also falls on
necessary, almost essential, services such as heating and transportation. The carbon tax is also a highly inflexible tool
since it cannot be easily adjusted for changing emission levels. Further, governments become reliant
on the revenue and are less willing to adjust the tax rates downward when emissions decline. For thesereasons, some experts have argued that regulations that limit emissions, including tradable permit regimes, can be more effective and moreflexible. The "blue" dividend from a carbon tax could include recycled revenues spent on environmental programs. Dedicated taxes areanathema to finance departments since they introduce a rigidity in which the revenue must be spent on a bureaucratic-devised programregardless of whether the money is needed. Instead, greater bang for the buck could be achieved if carbon tax revenues were to replaceeconomically harmful levies with high marginal tax rates on earnings, investment and risk-taking. You can bet your bottom tax dollar, however,that recycled revenues would likely be spent on transfers and politically driven public programs instead. Thus, no assurance can be given that
the blue dividend would even be positive. The carbon tax most likely results in a negative "red" dividend because it falls most heavily on thepoor, whose consumption of gasoline, electricity and heating fuel tends to be a larger share of their resources compared with the rich. To getaround this, some of the carbon tax revenues would be paid out as rebates to low-income Canadians to offset higher energy costs, thus
negating the purpose of the policy. So carbon taxes have little appeal in the sense that the "green" and "blue"
dividends are far from certain and the "red" dividend is undoubtedly negative. While current gas taxes are usedto fund highways and roads or other infrastructure, proposals have often been made to raise the gas tax to curb greenhouse gas emissions andother pollutants. However, a broad-based environment tax on energy would be far better than a narrow-based environmental tax such as thegas tax. The case for turning the federal gas tax into a broad-based environmental tax on various forms of energy was made by the TechnicalCommittee on Business Taxation eight years ago. By keeping environmental revenues constant, the gas tax would be lowered in f avour of new
taxes on forms of energy reflecting environmental damage. In the end, the carbon tax is an idea whose time has not come.
If governments are to be serious about reducing greenhouse gases, they need to look for more
effective policies surgically directed at emissions rather than using blunt instruments. Carbon taxes won't bemuch better than Project Green in achieving environmental or economic objectives.
Turn
A. Carbon tax increases natural gas
Thomas et al 11 (Valerie, Todd Levin and Audrey Lee, PhD in theoretical physics from Cornell and
Associate Professor, Harvard, State-scale evaluation of renewable electricity policy: The role of
renewable electricity credits and carbon taxes, Energy Policy, 2/2011) LA
We have developed a state-scale version of the MARKAL energy optimization model, commonly used
to model energy policy at the US national scale and internationally. We apply the model to address
state-scale impacts ofa renewable electricity standard (RES) and a carbon tax in one southeastern state, Georgia. Biomass is
the lowest cost option for large-scale renewable generation in Georgia; we find that electricity can be generated from biomass co-firing atexisting coal plants for a marginal cost above baseline of 0.22.2 cents/kWh and from dedicated biomass facilities for 3.05.5 cents/kWh above
baseline. We evaluate the cost and amount of renewable electricity that would be produced in-state and
the amount of out-of-state renewable electricity credits (RECs) that would be purchased as a function of the
REC price. We find that in Georgia, a constant carbon tax to 2030 primarily promotes a shift from coal
to natural gas and does not result in substantial renewable electricity generation . We also find that theoption to offset a RES with renewable electricity credits would push renewable investment out-of-state. The tradeoff for keeping renewableinvestment in-state by not offering RECs is an approximately 1% additional increase in the levelized cost of electricity.
-
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
22/51
GDI 12 22/51AT Advantage CPs
B. Turns warmingscientific studies
US News 11 (US News and World Report, Content Provided by the National Science Foundation,
Natural Gas from Fracking Could Be 'Dirtier' Than Coal, 4/22/11) LAExtracting natural gas could do more to aggravate global warming than mining coal,
Extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale could do more to aggravate global warming than
mining coal , according to a Cornell study published in the May issue of Climatic Change Letters (105:5). While natural gas hasbeen touted as a clean-burning fuel that produces less carbon dioxide than coal, ecologist Robert Howarth warns that we should be moreconcerned about methane leaking into the atmosphere during hydraulic fracturing. Natural gas is mostly methane, which is a much morepotent greenhouse gas, especially in the short term, with 105 times more warming impact, pound for pound, than carbon dioxide (CO2),Howarth said, adding that even small leaks make a big difference. He estimated that as much as 8 percent of the methane in shale gas leaks
into the air during the lifetime of a hydraulic shale gas wellup to twice what escapes from conventional gas production. "The take-
home message of our study is that if you do an integration of 20 years following the development of the gas, shale gas is
worse than conventional gas and is, in fact, worse than coal and worse than oil," Howarth said. "We are not
advocating for more coal or oil, but rather to move to a truly green, renewable future as quickly as
possible. We need to look at the true environmental consequences of shale gas." Howarth, the David
R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Tony Ingraffea, the Dwight C. Baum
Professor of Engineering, and Renee Santoro, a research technician in ecology and evolutionarybiology, analyzed data from published sources, industry reports and even Powerpoint presentations from theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA). They compared estimated emissions for shale gas, conventional gas, coal (surface-mined and deep-mined) and diesel oil, taking into account direct emissions of CO2 during combustion, indirect emissions of CO2 necessary to develop and usethe energy source and methane emissions, which were converted to equivalent value of CO2 for global warming potential. The study is the firstpeer-reviewed paper on methane emissions from shale gas, and one of the few exploring the greenhouse gas footprints of conventional gasdrilling. Most studies have used EPA emission estimates from 1996, which were updated in November 2010 when it was determined thatgreenhouse gas emissions of various fuels are higher than previously believed. "We are highlighting unconventional gas because it is acontemporary problem for us in upstate New York, and because there is a big difference between developing gas from an unconventional welland a conventional well, for the mere reason that unconventional wells are bigger," Ingraffea said. He noted that the hydraulic fracturingprocess lends itself to more leakage because it takes more time to drill the well, requires more venting and produces more flowback waste, hesaid. "A lot of the data we used are really low quality, but I'm confident they are the best available," Howarth said. "We want to go out into theMarcellus Shale and do micrometeorological fluxes of methane at the time of venting and get a real number on this, which has never been
done. We're optimistic we can get funding and do that over the next year." "We've tried to be conservative all along; we're
not trying to be hyperbolic in our statements," Ingraffea said. "We do not intend for you to accept what we've reported ontoday as the definitive scientific study in regards to this question. It's clearly not," he added. "What we're hoping to do with this s tudy is tostimulate the science that should have been done before. In my opinion, corporate business plans superseded national energy strategy."
Natural gas shift causes methane emissions causes even more warming
Colman 12 (Zack, reporter for The Hill, Natural-gas boom could isolate US on climate change,
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/237601-natural-gas-boom-could-hurt-us-climate-change-
efforts) KA
The domestic national-gas boom might thin the ranks of climate change advocates and put the United
States at odds with the international community on the issue , an expert said Thursday. America's insistence
that natural gas will play an important role in easing the effects of climate change runs counter to
European views and will likely invite friction, Michael Levi, program director on energy security and climate change with
the Council on Foreign Relations, said during a discussion hosted by the New America Foundation. He said Europeans view natural
gas as a dirty energy source. That could isolate the United States in international climate talks, Levi said.For the most part, people in the United States who care about climate change think that natural gas is good news, Levi said. That is not the
view in Europe. In Europe, natural gas is generally seen as a bad thing for climate change and a bad direction
for the climate.On the international level, that will put us in some problems.Natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than
oil or coal when burned as an energy source. But some environmentalists fear that emissions of
methane -- a potent greenhouse gas -- at well sites could erode the climate benefits of the fuel. Climate
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/237601-natural-gas-boom-could-hurt-us-climate-change-effortshttp://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/237601-natural-gas-boom-could-hurt-us-climate-change-effortshttp://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/237601-natural-gas-boom-could-hurt-us-climate-change-effortshttp://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/237601-natural-gas-boom-could-hurt-us-climate-change-efforts -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
23/51
GDI 12 23/51AT Advantage CPs
change has garnered more attention in recent weeks as abnormal weather including droughts, fires, windstorms and record temperatures sweeps the country. Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano last week said there could be a link between the extreme weather and
climate change. The expansion of natural gas might also cause environmentalists most concerned about
resource scarcity to drop from a coalition of groups that push for climate change policies, he said. If thatpiece of the coalition that wants climate policy in place vanishes because of this sense of abundance, then I think it becomes more difficult toput good climate policy in place, Levi said.
Doesnt solve reductions at any level
Bruvoll and Larsen 03 (Annegrete and Bodil, Senior Researchers at the Research Department, Statistics
Norway, Greenhouse gas emissions in Norway: do carbon taxes work? Energy Policy, 3/04) LA
During the last decade, Norway has carried out an ambitious climate policy. The main policy tool is a
relatively high carbon tax, which was implemented already in 1991. Data for the development in CO2 emissions
since then provide a unique opportunity to evaluate carbon taxes as a policy tool. To reveal the driving forcesbehind the changes in the three most important climate gases, CO2, methane and N2O in the period 19901999, we decompose the actuallyobserved emissions changes, and use an applied general equilibrium simulation to look into the specific effect of carbon taxes. Although total
emissions have increased, we find a significant reduction in emissions per unit of GDP over the period due to
reduced energy intensity, changes in the energy mix and reduced process emissions. Despite
considerable taxes and price increases for some fuel-types, the carbon tax effect has been modest.While the partial effect from lower energy intensity and energy mix changes was a reduction in CO2
emissions of 14 percent, the carbon taxes contributed to only 2 percent reduction. This relatively
small effect relates to extensive tax exemptions and relatively inelastic demand in the sectors in which the tax is
actually implemented.
Carbon tax increases emissions and is economically infeasible
Tieleman 9 (Bill, writer for 24 Hr News, Carbon-tax levy an expensive failure,
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/NewsViewsAttitude/2012/07/02/19943441.html) KA
Yet for all its environmental piety, Norway is also a prodigious polluter. Its greenhouse gas emissions have grown 15%
since it adopted the carbon tax. - The Economist, January 2009 British Columbias unique carbon tax on gasoline
and other fuels went up another 1.1 cents a litre Sunday, but it remains an expensive, ineffective and unpopular
failure . While the BC Liberal government is attempting to make the proverbial silk purse from a sows ear, the reality is the carbon
tax is not reducing vehicle fuel consumption. Nor is it helping improve the environment, since every
cent of the $1.17 billion in tax revenue raised this year goes to corporate and personal tax cuts not
to fund a single environmentally friendly program, such as public transit, energy efficiency or
conservation. Statistics Canada figures show what happened. In 2008 the carbon taxs inaugural year B.C. motor gasoline sales were
4,529.8 in thousands of cubic metres. Last year they totaled 4,536.8 thousand cubic metres. Gas sales went up, not down, under
the carbon tax, despite a tough economic recession that reduced consumption. Nonetheless, B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake claims
success, arguing greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 4.5% between 2007 and 2010. But even Lake
doesnt deny that two-thirds of the GHG drop was likely attributable to the economic downturn, notthe carbon tax. Mark Jaccard, a Simon Fraser University environmental economics professor who strongly supports the carbon tax,
forecasts it will take 20 years to determine if it works. It would be shocking if a carbon tax had made a difference in a
couple of years and it hasn't." It would also be shocking if the BC Liberals admitted their own hypocrisy and either fixed or scrappedthe carbon tax. While paying lip service to environmental concerns, this governments biggest single capital expenditure is building a new $3.3billion, 10-lane Port Mann Bridge that will dramatically increase vehicle traffic. And while Victoria claims it wants to reduce GHG emissions, lastmonth it declared fossil fuel natural gas it previously condemned as dirty as clean now in order to power liquefied natural gas plants. Sodont count on this government making the carbon tax disappear or using the revenue for anything that would actually help reduce fuelconsumption anytime soon.
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/NewsViewsAttitude/2012/07/02/19943441.htmlhttp://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/NewsViewsAttitude/2012/07/02/19943441.html -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
24/51
GDI 12 24/51AT Advantage CPs
Carbon taxes will fail in the US too expensive
Salam 12 (Reihan, writer for National Review Online, The Case for (and Against) a Carbon Tax,
http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/309161/case-and-against-carbon-tax-reihan-salam) KA
Jim Manzi has offered an insightful discussion of the real-world pitfalls facing a carbon tax. An
approach that works in British Columbia or Denmark might not work in the United States: First, acarbon tax would be highly regressive,so youd have to institute some kind of offset, probably an income tax credit. This isespecially tricky, since you have to make sure that the marginal deadweight loss (excluding the potential AGW-related benefits) of the carbon
tax is no more than the marginal deadweight loss of the offset tax, or you will create a real incremental social cost. Second, if you only
taxed carbon, youd create all kinds of perverse incentives to convert some existing production to
processes that create non-CO2 greenhouse gases, so youd actually have to make this a multi-substance GHG tax (Illcontinue to refer to it as a carbon tax since this is the common terminology). Third, unless you make the dubious assumption that the major
developing economies enact and enforce a harmonized international tax regime, a carbon tax would lead firms to conduct
some GHG-producing activities offshore, typically in countries with less efficient production facilities,
thereby increasing total GHG production for the offshored activities. I attended a climate change policy conference acouple of weeks ago in which a senior EPA economist gave a rough estimate that about 20% of GHG production subject to a tax in the US wouldleak in this manner. None of this complexity is insurmountable, but consider that the idea of lets tax each person a given percentage of annualincome sounds pretty simple too, but annual income tax compliance costs on the US are currently estimated to be as high as $100 billion.
Assuming we do not actually do away with some other major class of taxation, imposing a carbon tax means imposingsignificant incremental compliance costs. Jim goes on to observe, among other things, that we dont have a very
good sense of how to set an appropriate price for carbon, in part because we know very little about
climate sensitivity.
http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/309161/case-and-against-carbon-tax-reihan-salamhttp://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/309161/case-and-against-carbon-tax-reihan-salam -
7/27/2019 GDI 12 at Advantage CPs
25/51
GDI 12 25/51AT Advantage CPs
AT: Both
Doesnt solve the environment and kills economyempirics
Bruvoll and Larsen 3 (Annegrete and Bodil, Senior Researchers at the Research Department, StatisticsNorway, Greenhouse gas emissions in Norway: do carbon taxes work? Energy Policy, 3/04) LA
In the wake of the Brundtland commission ([United Nations